New book claims key Brexit pledge was deliberately omitted
A new royal book has revealed that one of Queen Elizabeth II’s historic speeches was carefully edited to avoid sparking political controversy.
According to Power and the Palace by Valentine Low, a key Brexit-related pledge was deliberately removed from the late Queen’s address because it was deemed “too overtly political.” A Whitehall source explained that the monarch’s speeches, while written by the Government, were often adjusted to maintain the Queen’s strictly apolitical role.
“The tension comes in the drafting of the speech,” the insider said. “If there are phrases in there that look too overtly political, an eyebrow is raised at the other end of St James’s Park, which means, ‘No, I don’t think we can use this phrase or that phrase, because it’s come directly from political campaigning.’”
One notable example involved the phrase “taking back control,” a central slogan of the Brexit campaign, which was ultimately omitted after discussions between the Palace and Government officials.
Low writes that these disputes were most noticeable during Boris Johnson’s time as Prime Minister, when the political language of his government often clashed with the Palace’s caution.
However, not all exchanges were fraught. Former Cabinet Minister Sir Malcolm Rifkind recalled that the Queen had been “particularly pleased” with her 2021 speech, which highlighted the UK’s commitment to the global effort of getting 40 million girls into education.
